Stellar pursuits
Sophia recently retired early from a public service administrative position and the first thing she wanted to do with all the time in the world on her hands was to study astrology and find out as much as she can about herself.
"I've been reading horoscopes all of my life but despite never marrying or having children I just never got around to doing anything more about my passion," explains Sophia.
"I was working and playing so hard I suppose," laughs Sophia, "but now that I’m retired I'm making up for lost time. Also, I really have a deep need to find out as much about myself as I can in order to live a meaningful life.”
The majority of astrologers might agree that without knowing the precise time of birth - and thus where one's ascendant lies - astrology cannot be used meaningfully in one's life.
So, when Sophia started studying astrology she was very upset that she did not know the precise time of her birth.
"I was born in the United Kingdom in 1947," explains Sophia, "and apparently UK hospitals do not record the precise time of birth in their records. So, my enquiries at the hospital I was born at hit a blank wall."
"I know that my sun sign is Virgo," explains Sophia, "but for all I know I could really be governed by an Aquarius ascendant."
Further complicating Sophia’s research was her only child status, and the fact that not only were her parents deceased but also her uncles and aunts.
"I had nobody to dig for further information," laughs Sophia, "and it’s really strange that I’m an only child and yet I know less about my childhood than someone born in a family of ten."
Luckily for Sophia, as she delved further into the study of astrology she learned something to her advantage. For those who do not know precisely when they were born - and despite rocket science and genome mapping an awful lot of hospitals around the world still don't record birth times - there exists a minority of astrologers that believe a solar chart is as good if not better than an ascendant chart.
"Basically," says Sophia, "the ascendant is used to determine house placement and unless you were born around sunrise - when the sun and the ascendant would be roughly in the same place in the sky - your ascendant could be anywhere in a chart."
With 12 signs (and houses) and 24 hours in a day, Sophia explains that there is a two-hour window in which one's ascendant can be placed.
"Labor can be as short as two hours, or as long as 24 hours," says Sophia, "so even if my mother - or some family member - had remembered when contractions started and the rushed trip to the hospital or a call to a midwife was made, it is not going to be much help if you really do not have a clue when you were born."
"At that time in a woman's life," laughs Sophia, "particularly if it was in the middle of the night, I would imagine that remembering the precise time of birth is not foremost in priorities! But because I was the first-born and, as it turned out, the only child my mother had, you would have thought she would have remembered, wouldn’t you?"
Not to be daunted, Sophia then saw a clue in the above observation.
"Odds are pretty good that if your mother does not remember when you were born she probably fell asleep immediately after giving birth," explains Sophia, "which indicates that you were indeed born in the wee small hours. So, that would mean anytime from midnight to dawn, giving you three possible ascendants - all of which, of course, would be the signs preceding your sun sign."
Because all of the methods of narrowing down the odds to find the best ‘fit’ for your ascendant are laborious and are never going to give the accuracy needed for a precise chart, Sophia is undecided about going down that road.
"Sometimes I think it would be an exercise in futility," muses Sophia, "and then sometimes I am overwhelmed with interest which indicates that there is a good reason - a spiritual one - for taking that road."
"An easy way of getting close to an unknown ascendant," says Sophia, "involves working out the planetary aspects for your day of birth and seeing if there is a big aspect in the sky - such as a conjunction, square or opposition - that might account for something peculiar about your personality. If there is a significant aspect on your day of birth, you take a close look at the planets concerned and judge whether you possess the characteristics of the aspect falling in your first house (ascendant) or another house."
Even without significant aspects on your day of birth, Sophia suggests using the planetary positions to judge which house they best fit into.
"If a sun sign Virgo like mine, for instance," says Sophia, "had Saturn on the Ascendant the native would be a very withdrawn and serious person - definitely not the party girl type of Virgo that I am - which indicates that perhaps Jupiter is on my ascendant."
"Rectification is the most common way astrologers narrow down the most likely time of birth," says Sophia, " but because it depends upon dates of events that an astrologer considers important - marriage, death of a parent, birth of a child, change of house, etc - it does not necessarily mean that anything particularly startling will come from the investigation."
"Let's face it," says Sophia, "most of these events happen to people at a fairly standard age and could say more about the other people involved in your life than they do about you."
Nevertheless, using these methods Sophia has narrowed down the most likely position of her ascendant, but to achieve accuracy would involve many more years of calculations.
"I do have time on my hands," laughs Sophia, "but until I am moved by a strong, spiritual desire to delve further I see no purpose in spending so much time on such a narrow part of astrology. Obviously I am not a typical Virgo!"
As Sophia mentioned previously, there are astrologers who do not consider an ascendant as terribly vital information. Therefore, for those who, like Sophia, don't know the precise time of birth there is absolutely nothing wrong with settling for a solar chart that places your sun in the first house.
"I’m using a solar chart for myself right now," says Sophia. "It does not change the aspects, and it does not change the interpretations of planets in particular signs. And lastly, a solar chart simplifies the whole business to a point where even those who do know the precise time of their birth opt for a solar chart as being all they really need."
"I’m also doing charts for my deceased parents," adds Sophia, "and I’m learning a lot about them, too. It’s amazing how our three charts have so many similarities."
"They died in a car crash shortly after retirement," explains Sophia, "and since I’m at that stage of my life, I suppose it’s natural that I would worry about the same thing happening to me. And there I am saying that I'm not a typical worrying Virgo!"
"I've been reading horoscopes all of my life but despite never marrying or having children I just never got around to doing anything more about my passion," explains Sophia.
"I was working and playing so hard I suppose," laughs Sophia, "but now that I’m retired I'm making up for lost time. Also, I really have a deep need to find out as much about myself as I can in order to live a meaningful life.”
The majority of astrologers might agree that without knowing the precise time of birth - and thus where one's ascendant lies - astrology cannot be used meaningfully in one's life.
So, when Sophia started studying astrology she was very upset that she did not know the precise time of her birth.
"I was born in the United Kingdom in 1947," explains Sophia, "and apparently UK hospitals do not record the precise time of birth in their records. So, my enquiries at the hospital I was born at hit a blank wall."
"I know that my sun sign is Virgo," explains Sophia, "but for all I know I could really be governed by an Aquarius ascendant."
Further complicating Sophia’s research was her only child status, and the fact that not only were her parents deceased but also her uncles and aunts.
"I had nobody to dig for further information," laughs Sophia, "and it’s really strange that I’m an only child and yet I know less about my childhood than someone born in a family of ten."
Luckily for Sophia, as she delved further into the study of astrology she learned something to her advantage. For those who do not know precisely when they were born - and despite rocket science and genome mapping an awful lot of hospitals around the world still don't record birth times - there exists a minority of astrologers that believe a solar chart is as good if not better than an ascendant chart.
"Basically," says Sophia, "the ascendant is used to determine house placement and unless you were born around sunrise - when the sun and the ascendant would be roughly in the same place in the sky - your ascendant could be anywhere in a chart."
With 12 signs (and houses) and 24 hours in a day, Sophia explains that there is a two-hour window in which one's ascendant can be placed.
"Labor can be as short as two hours, or as long as 24 hours," says Sophia, "so even if my mother - or some family member - had remembered when contractions started and the rushed trip to the hospital or a call to a midwife was made, it is not going to be much help if you really do not have a clue when you were born."
"At that time in a woman's life," laughs Sophia, "particularly if it was in the middle of the night, I would imagine that remembering the precise time of birth is not foremost in priorities! But because I was the first-born and, as it turned out, the only child my mother had, you would have thought she would have remembered, wouldn’t you?"
Not to be daunted, Sophia then saw a clue in the above observation.
"Odds are pretty good that if your mother does not remember when you were born she probably fell asleep immediately after giving birth," explains Sophia, "which indicates that you were indeed born in the wee small hours. So, that would mean anytime from midnight to dawn, giving you three possible ascendants - all of which, of course, would be the signs preceding your sun sign."
Because all of the methods of narrowing down the odds to find the best ‘fit’ for your ascendant are laborious and are never going to give the accuracy needed for a precise chart, Sophia is undecided about going down that road.
"Sometimes I think it would be an exercise in futility," muses Sophia, "and then sometimes I am overwhelmed with interest which indicates that there is a good reason - a spiritual one - for taking that road."
"An easy way of getting close to an unknown ascendant," says Sophia, "involves working out the planetary aspects for your day of birth and seeing if there is a big aspect in the sky - such as a conjunction, square or opposition - that might account for something peculiar about your personality. If there is a significant aspect on your day of birth, you take a close look at the planets concerned and judge whether you possess the characteristics of the aspect falling in your first house (ascendant) or another house."
Even without significant aspects on your day of birth, Sophia suggests using the planetary positions to judge which house they best fit into.
"If a sun sign Virgo like mine, for instance," says Sophia, "had Saturn on the Ascendant the native would be a very withdrawn and serious person - definitely not the party girl type of Virgo that I am - which indicates that perhaps Jupiter is on my ascendant."
"Rectification is the most common way astrologers narrow down the most likely time of birth," says Sophia, " but because it depends upon dates of events that an astrologer considers important - marriage, death of a parent, birth of a child, change of house, etc - it does not necessarily mean that anything particularly startling will come from the investigation."
"Let's face it," says Sophia, "most of these events happen to people at a fairly standard age and could say more about the other people involved in your life than they do about you."
Nevertheless, using these methods Sophia has narrowed down the most likely position of her ascendant, but to achieve accuracy would involve many more years of calculations.
"I do have time on my hands," laughs Sophia, "but until I am moved by a strong, spiritual desire to delve further I see no purpose in spending so much time on such a narrow part of astrology. Obviously I am not a typical Virgo!"
As Sophia mentioned previously, there are astrologers who do not consider an ascendant as terribly vital information. Therefore, for those who, like Sophia, don't know the precise time of birth there is absolutely nothing wrong with settling for a solar chart that places your sun in the first house.
"I’m using a solar chart for myself right now," says Sophia. "It does not change the aspects, and it does not change the interpretations of planets in particular signs. And lastly, a solar chart simplifies the whole business to a point where even those who do know the precise time of their birth opt for a solar chart as being all they really need."
"I’m also doing charts for my deceased parents," adds Sophia, "and I’m learning a lot about them, too. It’s amazing how our three charts have so many similarities."
"They died in a car crash shortly after retirement," explains Sophia, "and since I’m at that stage of my life, I suppose it’s natural that I would worry about the same thing happening to me. And there I am saying that I'm not a typical worrying Virgo!"
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